Proposed Ennis Street speed limit reduction fails

Published 5:23 pm, Tuesday, March 26, 2013

In a tie vote, a motion that would have reduced the speed limit on Ennis Street from 35 miles per hour to 30 miles per hour failed during the Plainview City Council’s Tuesday meeting.

The issue of lowering the speed limit on Ennis Street from Olton Road to Southwest Third was first brought before the council in June 2012, but tabled pending further research.

According to Police Chief Will Mull, the city was able to do a traffic study once school was in session, taking into consideration the traffic to LaMesa Elementary and Plainview Christian Academy.

The request by the Plainview YMCA, at 313 Ennis, to reduce the speed limit from 35 miles per hour to 30 miles per hour is due to the amount of sports programs held in the YMCA gym and athletic fields adjacent to the building.

In July 2012, the council approved the addition of a crosswalk for parents and children.

According to Mull, to enforce the crosswalk and prevent it from being another parking spot, there has been a police presence during high-activity times at the YMCA.

Mull said the Public Works Department conducted the traffic study and placed counters south and north of the YMCA to get an average amount of traffic along Ennis Street and the YMCA.

Mull said the average number of vehicles south of the YMCA was 2,313 during regular business hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The traffic averaged 1,396 on evenings events were held at the YMCA and on the field adjacent to the building. On the evenings without events, the traffic was 1,180.

The traffic on the north side of the YMCA averaged 2,374 with an average of 1,776 on evenings of events.

“It’s a pretty big difference,” Mull said.

The police chief added a speed limit study was also done and explained the differences between the two speed limits and the stopping distances.

If two cars were traveling along the street with one vehicle going 30 mph and the other going 35 mph and a problem arose with both vehicles having five seconds to react, there were would 35 feet difference in the stopping distances between the vehicles.

There were four options for the council members to consider:

•Option one — leaving the speed limit as it is with the crosswalk.

•Option two — Change the speed limit to 30 mph from Olton Road to Southwest Third.

•Option three — Change the speed limit to 30 mph from Southwest Third north to the I-27 frontage road.

•Option four — Use a combination of all three options.

Dr. Richard Morgan, who lives in the area of the YMCA, voiced his thoughts about the reduction of the speed limit.

“It needs to be lowered from 35 miles per hour,” he said.

Executive Director of the YMCA, Rob Wilkinson informed the council of what the YMCA is doing to help alleviate the problem.

“We are trying to do what we can, to our ability to help,” Wilkinson said.

He added that the entrance and exit out of the YMCA parking lot has been changed, and parking has been added in the back of the building.

Mayor Pro Tem Cathy Waggoner made a motion that would reduce the speed limit from 11th street south to Southwest Third.

Councilmember Dr. Charles Starnes addressed the council and made several points from personal observations, which included traffic slowing down below 30 mph and a lack of police presence enforcing the crosswalk and acting as a deterrent to speeding vehicles.

“I don’t see us needing to do anything other than what is being done right now,” Starnes said.

Councilmember Shane Martinez had voiced his thoughts about placing flashing lights to alert drivers to children at play.

According to City Manager Greg Ingham, further research would have to be done on that issue.

When the votes were cast, Councilmembers Waggoner, David Garcia, V.O. Ortega and Mayor Wendell Dunlap were in favor of the motion while Starnes, Shane Martinez, Lionel Garcia and Eric Hastey were against the motion.

According to Dunlap, the city will continue to work with the YMCA to figure out a solution.